Shadow dove

e the start in life

t inherit a barn from

tory was told in Umuof

sult the Oracle of the

always had a m

Agbala, and people c

came when misfortune

pute with their nei

re held for them or to

eparted

was a round hole at th

e round opening into

o seek knowledge fro

the hole and found t

presence of Agbala. N

estess. But no one who

ar of his power. Hispriestess stood by the s

e will of the god. The

ogs only served to lig

f the pr

to consult the spirit

that when such a spiri

ness, but never heard

d heard the spirits fl

st the roof

Okonkwo was still a

Agbala. The priestes

he was full of the po

noka stood before her

sadly, "before 1 put a

i, the owner of all la

cock at the shrine of I

et fire to it when it

has fallen, and stak

eed – I"; "Hold your

terrible as it echoed

ither the gods nor yo

is gods and his ancest

to the strength of h

for the weakness of

ors go out with their

yams on exhausted fa

even rivers to make th

ices to a reluctant s

a m

d man. He had a bad c

ther to his death, for hehad no grave. He die

en a man was afflicte

he was not allowed t

l Forest and left ther

orn man who staggered

to the forest and tied

the earth, and so th

He died and rotted awa

t or the second burial

him away, he took

oka, Okonkwo did not

ad. He neither inherit

But in spite of these

her's lifetime to lay

was slow and painful

ssed. And indeed he wa

ontemptible life

man in Okonkwo's v

ives and thirty ch

aken the highest but

. It was for this man

first s

m-wine and a cock to

for, and Nwakibie's

bi. He presented a ko

sed round for all to s

saying: We shall all l

vest and happiness.

ill have what is goo

perch too. If one says

ola nut had been eaten

f the hut where it had

he group. He addresse

fat

1 have brought you th

pays respect to the

have come to pay you

t let us drink

onkwo and the neighb

the goatskin bags th

horn, which was faste

who was also the youn

raised the pot on his

e first cup went to O

e else. Then the grou

n everyone had drun

s wives. Some of the

our ca

asked them. They sai

the others could not

tood w

ed woman, tall and st

ng and she looked ever

and prosperous family

es, which the first w

husband and accepte

n one knee, drank a

alled him by his name

rank in the same way,

continued their drinking

e palm-wine tapper,

p his

ing behind it," he sa

with the back of his

toad does not run in t

Oracle warned him tha

kill himself,"

een a strange one,"

ago, when his father

consult the Oracle. T

ts you to sacrifice a

told the Or

if he ever had a fow

heartily except Ok

the saying goes, an

es are mentioned in

ed his o

who was pouring out

ite dregs and said, "

ish

others replied. "Who

as a job in hand," s

Igwelo with a malicio

Igwelo should drink

m his brother and dran

and because he had ma

The thick dregs of pa

their wivesAfter the wine had been dru

kib

or help," he said. "P

ve cleared a farm but

sk a man to trust an

when young men are a

. The lizard that jum

he would praise himsel

elf at an age when mo

s. If you give me som

l y

hroat. "It pleases me

our youth has gone s

sk for yams but I ha

dump them in the eart

en i say no to them

so. Eneke the bird sa

out missing, he has l

ed to be stingy with m

ok at you. As our fath

I shall give you twic

prepare

again and again an

Nwakibie would not r

d be so generous. He

red seeds. He would

to get another four

er's friend

very slow way of buil

one only got a third o

re was no other way.And what made it wo

d two sisters from hi

also meant supportin

ok and eat while her

en he was striving des

g Okonkwo was also fe

ring grains of corn in

ters worked hard e

oco-yams, beans and c

was a ma

kwo took eight hun

st year in living me

was either too early or

d. The first rains we

rief moment. The blaz

r been known, and scor

rains. The earth bur

that had been sown. L

sow with the first ra

e rains dried up and

y for signs of rain cl

ng he went back to

He had tried to pr

king rings of thick si

day the sisal rings we

day, and prayed that

ought continued for e

s were

planted their yams ye

ways put off clearing

they were the wise o

with much shaking of

their own foresight.Okonkwo planted wha

had one consolation

e his own, the harvest

t hundred from Nwakib

riend. So he would

mad. Rain fell as it h

gether it poured down

heaps. Trees were up

Then the rain becam

without a pause. The

ddle of the wet seaso

t green leaves, but

ne the tubers

was sad, like a fune

he miserable and rott

tree branch and

that tragic year

f his life. It always

t he did not sink under

rce fighter, but that

e heart

at year," he always

t it down to his

ho was then an ailin

harvest month: "Do no

u have a manly and a

eneral failure becaus

more difficult and more

hat in his last days. H

. It tried Okonkwo's